Gadgets

The problem with tiny robots, if there can really be said to be one, is that you can’t put enough stuff on them. Cameras and motors don’t shrink down very well, meaning if you want your robot to grab something, you’d better come up with a new way to see ...

The threat of minefields is an ongoing and horrifying one, and the duty of clearing them is as difficult as it is dangerous. All the more reason, then, that it should be done by robots! A new type of inexpensive, versatile bot modeled after turtles could be a great tool ...

“Can anyone tell me what this is?” the teacher asked. Outside the rust rains had come again and the building reacted by assembling a nano sphere shield. They would be inside until it stopped. None of the children were old enough for the skin adaptation. She might as well keep ...

I have to say, I really like e-paper. And it’s come a long way since the crude early Kindles — nowadays you have e-readers that are as high-resolution as the best phones and iPads. And they’re set to get even better if E Ink’s latest screens make it into a ...

Sony’s mammoth 13-inch Digital Paper tablet, essentially a huge Kindle you can write on, is still a pretty rare sight, but I’ve always had a soft spot for it. So I’m glad the company is doubling down on this unique device type and making some significant improvements with a new ...

Netherlands-based Minibrew has raised $2.8 million in seed funding after completing a successful $350,000 crowdfunding campaign to bring some smarts to the home-brew process. The Minibrew is a little keg with a big brain. When we first met the company in 2015 they offered a whiff of high-tech to the ...

Apple’s wireless payment system Apple Pay is now up and running in Italy. The company partnered with a handful of banks and popular retailers. Italian customers can now add their payment cards to the Wallet app on their iPhone and Apple Watch. Apple Pay currently supports Boon, Carrefour Banca and ...

Not everyone wants to place a heart-rate monitor on their chest or wrist. Sometimes you want a meaty sensor, something that won’t drain your battery and something that also carries your phone using a system of magnets that keeps your phone safe from harm. Sometimes you want the Shapeheart. I ...

What do people actually want in luggage? A phone charger, unbreakable exterior, and maximum packing space at a resonable price is what Away discovered. So it built a line of sleek but expansive polycarbonite suitcases equipped with battery packs, and sold them direct-to-consumer. Now after selling nearly 100,000 suitcases and ...

People are taking photos and videos all over major cities, all the time, from every angle. Theoretically, with enough of them, you could map every street and building — wait, did I say theoretically? I meant in practice, as the VarCity project has demonstrated with Zurich, Switzerland. This multi-year effort ...